This version of the invention is concerned with the field of accessory devices for all terrain vehicles, frequently referred to as ATVs. More specifically, this version of the invention is concerned with accessory devices for ATVs that are releasably attached to the rear luggage rack of an ATV in order to provide additional carrying capacity and to lift and stow certain items that may possess weight in excess of that which can be readily lifted and secured by an ATV driver.
1. Prior Art
All terrain vehicles, commonly referred to as ATVs, have gained in popularity recently among outdoor recreational enthusiasts, such as hunters and campers, and also among property owners, ranchers and field hands who must travel off-road across terrain that is normally inaccessible to conventional vehicles to manage livestock, farm crops, and the like. As ATVs permit their riders to gain access to areas not available to conventional vehicles, ATVs are normally equipped with a variety of luggage racks, typically a front luggage rack attached to the ATV over the front tires and a rear luggage rack attached to the vehicle over the rear tires. These luggage racks permit hunters to carry firearms, bows, and miscellaneous hunting equipment with them to various hunting sites and to transport any game animals to various locations for weighing, cataloging, dressing, etc. Similarly, ATV luggage racks allow farmers and ranches to load and transport equipment, such as fence posts, rolls of wire, and bales of hay, to distant and widespread sites. As some of these items are relatively bulky and heavy, such as large game animals and rolls or wire, the user of an ATV finds that it is a difficult if not impossible task to lift, load, and secure such items onto a luggage rack, since such a rack is typically mounted to the ATV several feet above the ground surface. In these cases, the ATV user may attempt to lift a particular large and heavy items unaided and thus risk serious injury or aggravate an existing injury or medical condition and possibly damage the ATV if the ATV is used to brace or support the item during loading. Alternatively, the ATV user may decide to forego loading the item in question and retrieve it at a later time when help may be available in which case the item may perish as with a game animal or become lost or misplaced as with farm and ranch equipment.
What is needed then to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages of conventional ATV luggage racks is the provision of a carrying or hauling device that can be releasably attached to the rear luggage rack of an ATV. Such a carrying or hauling device would be constructed in part with means to receive, lift, and stow in a secure and stable manner a relatively heavy and bulky item when said item is being transported from a pickup location and to lower said item at a destination site for quick and unaided release from said device.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Numerous designs for carrying and hauling devices have been provided in the prior art. Even though these designs may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present version of the invention. No prior effort, however, provides the benefits attendant with the present invention. As such, it may be appreciated that there is a continuing need for a new and improved hauling accessory for all terrain vehicles. In these respects, the present version of the invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus that substantially fulfills this need. Additionally, the prior patents and commercial techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objects, and advantages through a new, useful and unobvious combination of method steps and component elements, with the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, and by employing only readily available materials.